Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai recently shared that significant resources are being proposed in the 2025 budget to transform the lives of Indigenous peoples. She made this point during her budget presentation yesterday in the National Assembly.
Minister Sukhai noted that these transformative initiatives total $7.2 billion.
To ensure Amerindian land rights are legally secured, $650 million is set aside to advance Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) activities, she informed the House.
Also, more than 2,700 Community Service Officers (CSOs) will continue to earn income and gain valuable skill sets with $1.5 billion allocated to the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) in 2025.
Notably, $5 billion has been budgeted to fund economic, ecotourism, agricultural and infrastructural initiatives in the more than 248 Amerindian villages.
Meanwhile, the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference has received an allocation of $150 million, ensuring Amerindian leaders are consulted on their development needs, while $127 million is allocated to support 800 hinterland youths.
“We don’t determine what we want to give; they do a village consultation, come up with their priorities, and we address their priorities,” Minister Sukhai underlined.